Patient care at the heart of Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre partnership

23 April 2018

Over the past three years, Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre’s ongoing corporate partnership arrangement with Cancer Council SA has flourished, branching out to funding the Transport to Treatment service. General Manager, Lincoln Clifford, shares how it has helped the people that matter most—their patients.

“The patient experience is absolutely integral to everything we do at Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre, from how we greet people when they walk in the door, to how we deliver our care. So when we started to see a problematic pattern, it made sense to fix it in any way we could.

Many of our patients at Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre are from the country, which brings with it its own challenges. In these cases, you’re treating people who are going through a really challenging time from a health point of view, and on top of that they’re doing it away from the comforts and support structures of home.

A lot of our patients make use of Cancer Council Lodges during their stay. They appreciate the subsidised accommodation when finances are often tight, as well as the sense of community spirit and shared experience. But we were hearing over and over again that it was really difficult to make it to their radiation appointments. Catching a bus can be so draining during treatment, and many people found driving a hired car expensive and confusing in an unfamiliar city.

So, it was the logical solution to do what we did—sponsor a Cancer Council SA bus that would run throughout the day, taking Lodge guests to and from their appointments.

The partnership was one that inherently made sense. We are the largest provider of radiation therapy in South Australia, providing care across four treatment sites, and Cancer Council is the go-to organisation for anyone going through cancer. We have the same primary goal of supporting people through cancer, so anything we can do to extend that support is valuable.

As well as providing a place to stay for many of our rural patients, Cancer Council SA has added to our patient care in other ways. We’ll have people come in to offer training and upskilling for our staff, and their brochures and leaflets are available throughout our sites to answer key questions with trusted, evidence-based information.

And of course, we take part in Daffodil Day every August, and Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea every May. As well as raising money for Cancer Council SA—a combined total just shy of $3,000 per year—it’s a fun and light-hearted way that we can all pitch in to lift someone’s day.

Our staff members have a really strong connection with our patients. They’ll see them every day for four to six weeks, which is the typical course of treatment. So everyone is very keen to put their hand up for any initiative that will make even one patient’s morning a little brighter.

It’s never hard work if you’re doing it with the goal of making someone else happy.

We look forward to continuing and extending our partnership with Cancer Council SA in the future, so that both organisations can continue to work together the support the people in our care in the best way possible.”

Lincoln Clifford
General Manager
Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre

Adelaide Radiotherapy Centre will be hosting a 2018 Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea across all four treatment sites with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party theme. You can get involved, donate, or host your own morning tea at https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/. If you would like to discuss corporate partnership opportunities with Cancer Council SA, you can contact Anthony Cecere, Corporate Partnerships Manager on 8291 4276.

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